Hollywood star Jean-Claude Van Damme pitched up at Manchester City training on Thursday where he posed for pictures with players, including Belgium compatriots Vincent Kompany and Kevin De Bruyne.

The so-called 'Muscles from Brussels', who made his name starring in action movies including Bloodsport, Hard Target and Universal Soldier, is in Manchester for a black-tie dinner event where he will be sharing anecdotes from his film and martial arts career.

The 55-year-old kickboxer may be more famed for making amusing beer adverts than box office smashes in recent years, but that didn't stop players like Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero and even manager Manuel Pellegrini from grabbing a photo opportunity with the 80s legend.

Following the international break, Manchester City welcome Liverpool to the Etihad on Saturday as they bid to maintain their lead in the Premier League race this season.

Talisman striker Sergio Aguero is desperate to return to action after a six-week spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury picked up in Argentina's game with Ecuador on October 9.

The 27-year-old, who has not played for City since scoring five goals in 20 minutes against Newcastle at the beginning of October, has returned to training and claims he is 'doing everything in my power' to feature against Liverpool.

'I'm doing everything in my power to get to the match in top condition.

'It's been a frustrating time. Obviously the game against Newcastle was special because it's not every week you get to score five goals in one game.

'The only other occasion I remember scoring five in a single match was when I was 12.

'I was playing in the pre-youth divisions for Independiente (in Argentina) and it was the first important tournament that I'd participated in. We played against a local team and won 7-0 and I scored five times but it doesn't happen too often, does it?

Van Damme, sporting a classic mullet haircut, bites the tail off a rattlesnake in his film Hard Target